Sindh University re-verification of degrees

Sindh University gives clean chit to all MPs
Islamabad, July 29: Sindh University has given a clean chit to all MPs even after the
re-verification of degrees which according to its Vice Chancellor (VC) was in
line with the guidelines on Higher Education Commission (HEC).

During a
press briefing by Vice Chancellors of all public sector universities, Sindh
University Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Nazir A Mughal revealed that there were 108
degrees provided to Sindh University for verification out of which 105 are
genuine. "The remaining three degrees are not legible and we have asked HEC to
provide us with the readable copies of the documents," he said.

He said
that we have completed the process of verification of degrees long ago but HEC
suspected us and asked us also to verify intermediate and matriculation
certificates as well "Once we had completed the whole process then we were asked
to re verify it according to guidelines of HEC which were not mentioned before,"
he said.

Mughal said that after receiving new directions by HEC, they
demanded intermediate and matriculation certificates from the public
representatives. "After thorough scrutiny of all documents the degrees of MPs
are declared genuine,' he said.

He said that the first batch of degrees
verification has been completed by Sindh University. "We have received 13 more
degrees for verification in 2nd batch on 20 July and nine in third batch a few
days ago and we have started the process of verification of these degrees as
well," he said.

According to the sources Mughal severely criticized the
media during the vice chancellors meeting and said that it was the media that
was creating an issue out of a non-issue. "The media is behind me and publishing
false news against me," he said in the meeting.

Mughal reiterated in the
meeting and in press briefing as well that he was neither under the pressure of
provincial government nor under the pressure of federal government. "We are
performing our duty independently and are not being pressured by any segment,"
he said. The news

Honour for LUMHS
Hyderabad: The Higher Education Commission has ranked Liaquat
University of Medical and Health Sciences (LUMHS) as the second best medial
university of the country.

Director of the quality enhancement cell of
the university Dr Faisal Ghani Siddiqui said in a statement that the commission
had developed the first-ever ranking of universities. Approved through a
specialist ranking board, the ranking methodology had been devised by the
commission's quality assurance committee through a transparent consultative
process and after observing international ranking practices and systems, Dr
Siddiqui said. Dawn

Urdu Bazaar in a mess after monsoon showers
Karachi: The monsoon rains have badly affected Urdu Bazaar, one of the
old city areas in Saddar Town, and as a result, ninety per cent shops were found
to be closed on Wednesday.

Heaps of stinking garbage and stagnant water
were seen all over Urdu Bazaar as well as other areas including Civil Hospital
Karachi, Jamia Cloth Market, Federal Urdu University, Ranchor Lines, Burns Road
and Sindh Secretariat.

Mumtaz, a shopkeeper at Urdu Bazaar, informed PPI
that stagnant water had been present for more than 24 hours. "We face a similar
situation every monsoon. There is no proper system to drain the rainwater
from here," he said.

Although sanitary workers were present in the
locality, they were not doing anything to improve the situation. When asked,
they informed PPI that they did not have the proper machinery to do so. "We
would remove garbage from roads when the stagnant rainwater recedes. This
situation is likely to improve by tomorrow if it does not rain. Only God can
make it possible to remove two feet of accumulated water from this area in a
single day," they said.

Adnan, a book dealer, said that not a single
customer had visited his shop since morning. "It will take a minimum of three
days to neutralize the situation. The shopkeepers had a drain constructed on
self-help basis three years ago which is the only source to divert the rainwater
from market area to main Nullah," he informed.

Yet another shop owner
Sultan said that no serious efforts were being taken by the local administration
to tackle the problem apart from some 'cosmetic measures.' "The shopkeepers have
hired some sweepers to keep the area clean but obviously this is not enough. A
project was planned in the first tenure of City District Government Karachi to
get rid of the problem of rainwater but it was shelved when the tenure of the
then mayor Niamautullah Khan ended," he said.

Gul Zeb, one of a few
customers in the market said, "Urdu Bazaar is the only market where second hand
books are available at cheaper rates but the market is in a bad state. The
government should facilitate the Urdu Bazaar traders and take precautionary
measures to ensure better sanitary conditions here."

'2400 posts of lecturers available in Sindh'
Karachi: Senior Minister for Education and Literacy Sindh, Pir Mazhar Ul
Haq said on Wednesday that there are 2400 posts available for lecturers in the
provincial education department and these would only be filled through the Sindh
Public Service Commission (SPSC).

He was addressing the offer letter
distribution ceremony where in 404 commission pass lecturers, including 187
female and 217 male lecturers, were given letters. "Prior to this exercise, ad
hocism and favouritism was the criteria to hire teachers in the department.
Merit has now been set as standard for hiring in the education sector. After the
appointment of these lectures in rural and urban Sindh, more teachers would be
hired to overcome the deficiency of lecturers in colleges," he said.

"There were political pressure as well as demands from various
associations of teachers to hire people of their choices in the education
department," the minister said. He also said that the department would place
these lecturers at different colleges in Sindh and they are bound to teach the
students for five years at the same college. The news